A
Trip to the Beach is Gwyn Perkins’ final book in the Iggy and Grandad
series. His A Walk in the Bush won
the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Award for Picture Book of the
Year 2018. He was 76 years old.
Surfboards, Esky, beach towels, goggles, bucket and
spade are packed into the car. Today best friends Iggy the cat and Grandad are
leaving the city for the beach. In the car they play I Spy. Iggy sees the sea.
He runs in without thought. The waves are high. They frighten him.
They investigate what the waves have carried in.
Bones, rocks, plastic bottles, a thong and bits and pieces of debris lie in a
line on the sand. They decorate their sand castle. Grandad decorates his head
with seaweed.
They decide to go on a boat trip. Which boat,
though? They choose a canoe and put on their life vests. They stop at an inlet.
No high waves here. Iggy dons his goggles and down he goes.
But surfing is what Iggy wants to learn. But he
remembers the high waves that frightened him. Can Grandad teach him to surf?
This is a joyous celebration about overcoming your
fears, enjoying the outdoors and the calm and comfort of close friendship in an
Australian setting.
Gwyn Perkins’ illustrations lie lightly on the
page. White dominates and allows the attention to focus on the two figures,
their actions and setting.
Beautifully simple and simply beautiful, Perkins
shows that less is more.
Title:
A Trip to the Beach
Author/Illustrator:
Gwyn Perkins
Publisher:
Affirm Press, $24.99
Publication
Date: 29 October 2019
Format:
Hardcover
ISBN:
9781925870473
For
ages: 3+
Type:
Australian Picture
book
